War in Ancient India c12.67

c12.67

Such details may indicate the high development of the science of diplomacy in ancient India. As was noticed in the last section, the term *prahiṭa* stands for the spy in the *Taittirīya Saṃhitā*, if we are to interpret it in the light of the commentary of Sāyaṇa.³⁵ But when we come to the epoch of the composition of the *Atharva Veda*, we have additional details of these officials in secret service. Here again,³⁶ we meet with the spies attached to the exalted office of Varuṇa. They were said to possess a thousand eyes, implying, of course, that they were ever vigilant and watchful. It is further mentioned that they looked down on the earth from the sky, meaning that no direction was left uninspected by them. They moved here and there, and this was, we may suppose, for gathering correct information and reporting it to their master. All important gods had their own spies. For instance, spies were attached to Mitra.³⁷